Almost Kansas
by ScruffyLovin
Summary: Jack, Sam, and Jacob get stranded on a former Goa'uld slave planet. Jack and Carter have a fight and Jacob struggles to get them to reconcile their differences. SamJack. Angst, Drama, Romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **No characters or themes relating to SG-1 belong to me.

**Summary: **Jack, Sam, and Jacob get stranded on a former Goa'uld slave planet.

**Timeframe: **Season Seven, after "Death Knell" and before "Heroes."

**Characters/Pairing: **Sam/Jack

**Genre: **Drama, Angst, Romance

**Rating:** PG

**Note: **Written as a present for _**annerbhp **_for the sj_everyday Secret Santa on LJ.

**Start Date: **11-11-08

**Finish Date: **12-23-08

**Almost Kansas**

**Part One**

The last thing he remembered was riding in a Tel'tak with his team and Jacob, on their way back from a little off-world meeting with the Tok'ra at a location that had no stargate. Other than that he recalled some odd turbulence, then everyone getting into escape pods. Jack wasn't exactly sure what happened after that, or why he was currently lying flat on his back in a patch of long, dry grass after tumbling out of his escape pod, groggy and barely conscious.

Stumbling to his feet, Jack took a moment to reorient himself before searching for the rest of his team. He looked around the immediate vicinity and noticed another pod, this one still closed, about twenty meters to his left. The pod looked strangely out of place in the field, as did his own. Jogging over, he idly thought that the planet they'd landed on was a decent temperature, and reminded him a heckuva lot like Kansas.

When he got closer to the pod, the door suddenly burst open and Carter flung herself out of the confined space, dropping to her hands and knees. Feeling a rush of panic at the thought that she may be injured, he quickly went to her, grabbing her elbow and pulling her to her feet. "You okay Carter?"

Looking at Colonel O'Neill briefly with surprise, Sam gave him a somewhat distant nod before shaking her head to clear it. "Yes sir, I'm fine."

"Good." Jack nodded and looked around again. "Let's see if we can find the others." Not a trace of the anxiety he was feeling had crept into his voice. He was worried about what may have happened to the pods carrying Daniel, Teal'c, and Jacob.

Jack and Sam didn't go far before they spotted another pod by the tree line. The both ran over to find the pod open, and Jacob sitting on the ground beside it, looking to be a nursing a sore shoulder.

"Dad!"

The Tok'ra looked up as Jack and Sam came over to him, a disgruntled look on his face even though his eyes shone with relief at seeing them. "Are you two alright?" he asked, his face slightly pinched with pain.

"We're fine Dad," Sam answered him quickly. Her eyes immediately went to the shoulder that her father was holding.

Jack looked at the older man with concern. "How 'bout you?"

Jacob grimaced. "Had a bit of a bumpy ride. Minor injury though; Selmak's taking care of it." He blinked and tried to look past Jack and Sam. "Teal'c and Daniel?"

Jack shook his head, crossing his arms over a chest that felt strangely bare without his tac vest or P-90.

"We've been looking, but we haven't seen any other escape pods besides our own and yours." Sam chewed her lower lip in thought.

Jacob heaved a sigh and looked between his daughter and her commanding officer. "I don't want to be the bearer of pessimistic thoughts here, but it's possible the pods never deployed. They wouldn't have landed much farther away from any of our pods."

"No," Jack said forcefully, clenching his jaw. "I'm not buying that."

Sam was silent as her father tried to make the Colonel see the possibilities.

"Jack," Jacob sighed loudly again. "The ship took some damage as we went through that asteroid field. The shields weren't holding very well. Too many systems were failing. That's why we got into the pods, don't you remember?"

Jack sat down in the dirt across from Jacob and angrily rubbed at his forehead, feeling more exhausted then he cared to admit. He remembered the ship bouncing around a lot, and getting into the pods, but not really why.

Sam shared an apprehensive look with her father and knelt beside O'Neill, her hand touching his shoulder. "Colonel? Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Fine." He released a breath with a heavy sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck.

Unconvinced, Sam said, "Did you hit your head on the landing, sir? You could have a concussion."

"I said I was fine dammit!" Jack growled, suddenly springing to his feet and storming off into the trees.

"Take it easy Jack." Jacob warned. He reached out for Sam and she helped him to his feet.

Sam smiled tightly, a somber look on her face. "It's okay Dad. He's just worried about Daniel and Teal'c..." she trailed off and frowned. "And so am I."

Jacob nodded. His arm feeling better now that Selmak had healed it, he rested it across Sam's shoulders and pulled her to his side. "That makes three of us."

Both Sam and her father went into the sparse forest to catch up with O'Neill. Sam ran ahead a little and called out to him. "Sir, wait." When he didn't slow down, she called out louder, "Sir! Please!"

Clenching his fists, Jack paused but didn't turn around. He waited impatiently for Sam and Jacob to catch up to him.

"Jack, where are you going?" Jacob asked, worried that the younger man was just going to lead them all off into the deep woods through a blinding haze of anger and frustration.

Jack started walking again as he answered. "I'm goin' to find Daniel, Teal'c, and a stargate; not necessarily in that order."

Sam passed her father and started to walk with him.

"This planet doesn't have a stargate," Jacob called after the both of them.

This time when Jack stopped he spun around, a hard look in his dark eyes. "How do YOU know?"

Patiently, Jacob said, "Because the planet where you gated to - the one where I picked you up in the Tel'tak - is the next planet over."

Looking at her father with concerned curiosity, Sam blinked steadily. "That doesn't mean anything though. This planet could still have a stargate."

Shaking his head, Jacob sighed regrettably. "No. It doesn't. We scouted this one for a possible Tok'ra base before choosing Rylos instead."

Sam's brows furrowed and Jack crossed his arms skeptically.

"What's wrong with this planet then?" Cocking his head to the side, Jack eyed the Tok'ra steadily.

Reluctant as he was to say this, Jacob knew they deserved to hear the truth. "It was once used for a Goa'uld slave labor site. We didn't want to take the chance that the Goa'uld might take interest again."

"Why would the Goa'uld choose a planet with no stargate?" Sam was suddenly feeling very leery about the world they'd suddenly found themselves on.

"It had one, but the Goa'ulds took it when they left."

"Great," Jack muttered, heaving a sigh. "So where does that leave us?"

Jacob pulled a device out of his pocket that looked like a fancy little GPS thing. "Well, hopefully the slave village is still around here. We could use the shelter for now."

Jack nodded in agreement while Sam stepped closer to her father, interested in the little gadget he was currently toying with.

"What's that Dad?" Sam asked, peering over her father's shoulder.

"It's a new device we've been working with. I grabbed it before getting into the escape pod," Jacob began to explain, still adjusting some controls on the palm-sized gadget. "It's used to detect the most inhabited areas on a planet, even if those living there have been gone for some time. It scans the landscape for areas with the most wear and tear."

"Wow." Sam looked suitably impressed, just itching to get her hands on the Tok'ra's newest tech toy. "How does it work? I'd love to get a look at it."

"Ah-ah!" Jacob pulled it away with a teasing smile. "No way am I letting you take this one apart Sam. It's a prototype. No way."

Sam rolled her eyes and glanced briefly at the Colonel who was looking particularly smug and trying not to laugh.

"Hell, I don't care as long as it works!" Jack grinned crookedly and sent Jacob an expectant look, his spirits lifted somewhat. "Where to Dad?"

Adjusting a few more dials on the device, Jacob pointed off to the west of their current location. "That way."

Jack nodded and waved a hand for the Tok'ra to lead the way. "Let's go."

-

The trio had been walking for nearly two hours in relative silence before Sam's chin suddenly lifted as though a brilliant idea had struck her. Seeing the familiar look on his 2IC's face, Jack tilted his head and nudged her arm. "Carter?"

"I think Teal'c and Daniel may have gotten away on the ship sir," she said, looking over at him as they continued to follow her father, only five meters or so behind him.

Jack's brows twitched. "I thought we escaped the ship in the first place because it was...y'know, about to crash?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I know sir. But maybe they managed to land it somewhere? Possibly even on this same planet, but on the other side. We didn't see any evidence of a crash, only the three of our escape pods." Sam didn't want to mention the other less favorable possibilities like the fact that their pods may not have opened and the ship crashed on the other side of the planet where they wouldn't see it.

"Good," Jack said curtly as he continued walking. "Knowing Teal'c and Danny, I'm bettin' they're out there somewhere," he said with more confidence than he felt.

Sam didn't say anything, lost in her own thoughts as they trudged through the trees. She briefly focused on her father up ahead as he trekked on without saying a word. She guessed he was having a private conversation with Selmak in his head, and that they were trying to figure out a way to get them off this planet. A way to get off the planet was in the back of Sam's mind, but she was mostly contemplating the possibilities of what could have become of her two missing teammates.

Coming out of the trees another hour later and emerging in an large, barren cornfield, the trio could see a small, shabby-looking village on the other side, about a quarter of a mile away. The Colonel loudly exclaimed his relief at the sight of shelter, and Sam was feeling much of the same, though less vocally. She was simply glad for the prospect of getting to rest soon. It had already been a long day and the three of them had been walking for quite a while now. It was obvious to her that Colonel O'Neill's notorious bad knees were acting up, and he was getting very cranky, as though not knowing the fate of their two missing teammates wasn't making him grouchy enough.

"Once we get across the field we'll check to see if any Goa'uld goodies have been left behind, or anything else that might be useful," Jack said as they moved through the tall, dry grass. He knew there was no need to issue the silent request to search for any signs of Daniel and Teal'c as well.

Sam sighed inwardly. There went her thoughts of rest and putting her CO in a better mood.

Jacob figured Sam and Jack could use some rest first, but didn't comment. He wasn't too tired yet thanks to Selmak, but a break in the constant walking would have been nice, and he knew the long journey was starting to take it's toll on the other two. Unfortunately, he also knew that there would be no dissuading Jack once he had his mind on something.

-

They'd reached the shabby village and split up to look around for nearly an hour after deciding to meet back up in the center of town in front of the least-destroyed house. Sam didn't find much of anything, besides a few large burlap sacks filled with cornmeal, and was about to step into one more little house when she realized that it was already being looked into. She peeked in the open doorway slowly, disconcerted to find her CO sitting on the floor against the left wall, his head in his hands. "Colonel, are you alright?"

Jack dropped his hands and quickly began to get up, using the wall as leverage.

Sam didn't hesitate as she darted toward him and grasped his arm.

Shaking her off, Jack held up a hand. "I'm fine Carter, just a headache," he insisted, knowing that trying to ward her off with a simple "I'm fine," wouldn't do it.

Chewing her bottom lip briefly in thought, Sam looked at him carefully. "Sir, I think we should all get some rest. It's getting dark and we won't be able to get much accomplished anyway," she entreated. Seeing the stiff look on his face, Sam knew he needed further encouragement and added, "It's been a long day sir. We're all tired."

When he looked at her, Sam tried to get the message across that she was the one who needed rest. It wasn't a total lie. She did want to rest, but she wanted him to rest more. He was exhausted, that much was obvious, and he most likely really did have a concussion.

Sighing, Jack nodded and stepped out the door of the small house. "Okay Carter, let's get Dad."

She smiled tightly and followed after him. The man was stubborn as hell, but just sometimes she knew how to get to him.

-

The first night Sam, Jack, and Jacob all slept in the same house they'd marked earlier as their meeting point, each taking shifts to keep watch during the night. Sam sneakily made sure that the Colonel got third watch, having the most uninterrupted sleep, while her dad insisted she take first watch, so she could get a good amount of proper rest as well.

When they realized help wasn't coming as soon as they would like, the trio spent the next six days surviving and trying to keep themselves busy somehow. Jacob, Sam, and Jack were basically living together all in that one very small house. They found some supplies around the village that would be useful. For food they'd found bags of cornmeal, rice, and grain, and made traps to catch animals. Searching for a water source on the morning of the second day, they'd discovered a large lake behind the run down village. The pump inside the house worked, but they were glad to find the lake just in case.

Jack leaned up against the wooden table in the small room where Sam was still working on her homemade blueprint of the village and surrounding farmland. He was rather cranky because there was only one bed in the house, and since both he and Jacob insisted she take it, the men had both been sleeping in opposite corners of the room on the floor. Jacob had his symbiote to stop him from waking up sore and stiff in the morning, luckily, but unfortunately for Jack, who was (thankfully) symbiote-less, the hard surface was doing nothing for his back.

Sam tried to smile up at her CO, but her patience was wearing thin. His crankiness wasn't making her time on 'Almost Kansas' (as Jack had dubbed the planet) any more pleasant, and she was beginning to find their constant close proximity was making her feel things she knew she shouldn't be feeling for her Commanding Officer. It also didn't help that every time she tried to talk to him her dad appeared. She and Jack hadn't spoken all that much since the mission started, and she had a feeling it had to do with some close calls they'd had somewhat recently, as well as the news of her new boyfriend.

"Carter, where's Dad?"

If telling him where her father was would get him out of her hair for a while.... Wait. Did he just ask where Jacob was? Meaning Jacob wasn't around at the moment? Sam's eyes widened and for a second all she could think about was how Jack had sat down in the dirt beside her after the super soldier was destroyed and just held her for a while. She must have been lost in thought a little too long, because when her eyes locked on the Colonel's again he was looking at her with concern.

"Uh, Earth to Carter?"

"Oh, um, he went to collect some wood and clean his clothes down by the lake," she finally answered, still staring at him distractedly.

Jack heaved a sigh and made a face. "Okay."

Setting aside the papers she'd been working on for the past three days, Sam steeled her nerves and looked the Colonel in the eyes seriously. "Sir, on my last mission...when that super soldier was after me, all I could think about was the thought that..." she inhaled sharply. "..The thought that I would never see you again. That was it, and I'd never get another chance to tell you-"

"Carter, stop!" Jack interrupted gruffly, his face a mix of emotions she couldn't quite decipher. He waved his hands wildly and leaned away from the heavy wooden table. "Before you say too much. Don't." His jaw clenched. "This can't happen Carter. As much as I... It just can't. I won't let you throw your career away. Not like this."

A heartbroken look crossed her face, quickly followed by anger. Though it was a delusion created by her concussed mind at the time, Sam recalled something her father had said to her on the Prometheus. _Don't let rules stand in your way. _Outraged, she stood and slammed her hands down on the table. "You're not _letting me_ do anything! This is my decision, and who's to say I'd be throwing my career away?!"

Surprised at the outburst, Jack took a step back. "Carter," he growled dangerously. They were playing with dynamite here. "We're gonna get home, and then what?!" Now he was getting angry. He wasn't necessarily angry at her, but he was angry that she was revealing all this to him when he knew he couldn't have her. It was against the rules.

Her breaths heaving as her temper escalated, Sam shouted back, "I don't care! I'm sick of waiting for something good to happen that will make it be okay for us to be together! I'm sick of trying to find substitutes that never last because they're not you!"

Taken aback by her words, Jack didn't know what to say. All he knew was right now he'd seriously pissed her off and he couldn't find a way to fix it.

Hurt even more by his silence, Sam turned her back on him so he wouldn't see her tears. "Just get out of here, _SIR_."

He took a tentative step toward her and reached out to touch her shoulder, but pulled back at the last second. "Carter.."

"GO!" she practically screamed, shaking with anger. "Please," she added very softly a second later.

Sighing heavily in defeat, Jack rubbed at the back of his neck and turned, not wanting to cause her any more pain. He could hear her choked sobs as he went outside.

-


	2. Chapter 2

**Almost Kansas**

**Part Two**

Jacob was dragging an old wheeled cart with the wood he'd collected in it, stopping just in front of their house and straightening curiously when he heard loud banging and crashing noises in the next house over. Moving toward the sounds, Jacob was surprised and confused to find Jack inside, clearing out broken boards and furniture. He stood in the doorway, waving an arm to dispel some of the clouds of dust. "Jack, what the hell are you doing?"

Not stopping what he was doing, Jack glanced over at the Tok'ra, moving to the door while dragging what looked to be an old rug, piled high with debris. "I'm clearin' this place out so it's livable," he muttered, pulling the junk outside when Jacob moved out of the way. It had gotten hot outside, and Jack's face and hair were dripping with sweat, his shirt soaked.

"Why? Did something happen to the house? Where's Sam? Is she okay?" Jacob spit the questions out with concern, nearly running into their little house to make sure his daughter was alright.

Jack straightened for a moment and heaved a sigh. "She's fine. I'm movin' out."

"What?" Jacob wasn't sure he'd heard the younger man right. He eyed Jack questioningly. "Did you say you're moving out?"

"Yeah." After dumping the debris into a growing pile on the side of the shack, Jack headed back inside for more. He quickly thought up an excuse before Jacob had the chance to ask him why. "It's too damn cramped in there and Carter needs room to do her work. Besides, sleeping on the floor is killing my back."

_Like hard labor isn't_, Jacob thought dubiously. He knew there was something else going on here. Noticing the younger man's mood was rather sour today, he let it go. "Want some help?"

Jack didn't look back. "No, I got it."

Brows still furrowed in thought, Jacob turned and went back to what he was doing, still thinking about the Colonel's behavior. He took the wood inside to get a fire going so dinner could be made.

Sam was putting away her blueprints and tidying up the table she'd used as her workbench when he walked in. Jacob noticed there was something off about her. She seemed a little tense, her face tight. Those obvious signs told him that his daughter was angry about something. What had happened between her and O'Neill? he wondered. "Sam, did you know that Jack's-"

"I thought it was a good idea," she cut him off sharply. When she caught the incredulous look on her father's face, Sam quickly schooled her features and added, "This place is too small for the three of us. Besides, he'll be better off sleeping in a bed instead of the hard floor. You know he's got a bad back. He complains about it every morning."

Jacob rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Well, despite having Selmak, I'd rather be on a bed too." He glanced toward the door. "However, instead of moving out, I think I'll just get my hands on what passes for a mattress from one of the other houses and bring it in here." He decided not to say anything more on the subject and went back outside to get wood to start the fire.

Sam was putting water in one of the cooking kettles after her father got the fire going. When it had boiled enough to kill any germs (they weren't taking any chances) she mixed in some corn meal and set it back over the heat. Jack hadn't come back to the house, but she hadn't expected him to. She was still angry and couldn't bear looking at him right now anyway. Why couldn't he just tell her that he loved her back and that the rules didn't matter? Why couldn't he suggest they talk things out with the General when they got home?

"Sam, I'm heading out to find that bed now before it gets dark." He made towards the door when Sam called out a warning.

"Dad, be careful. Some of these buildings look like they're ready to collapse."

"I'll keep an eye out, don't worry," Jacob promised, going outside and waving.

-

Jack spent the night hungry and cold in his lonely little house. Almost Kansas got pretty damn chilly at night. After clearing everything out that was either broken or of no use to him, he'd been exhausted. He collapsed on the bed after beating the thin feather mattress outside to clear the dust, and thought he'd be asleep in no time. That wasn't the case. He hadn't bothered to cook anything or start a fire, and all he could think about was Sam as he tossed and turned in bed.

He hadn't meant to hurt her, but he did. He was only trying to protect her. That was part of the problem. She made him know she didn't need his protection and was quite capable of making her own decisions when it came to her love life. Jack was still finding it hard to believe that she loved _him_. He wondered what happened with that cop guy that she'd seemed so besotted with a couple of weeks ago.

After lying awake all night, Jack suddenly got an idea to keep himself busy when the sun came up. There were unused fields surrounding them, and nearly everything they'd need to start farming the lands again. Getting out of bed and stretching, Jack left his shack in search of the things he would need to start planting some corn in a portion of the barren field. Doing something productive and physically taxing would help him get his mind off of Sam. At least, that's what he hoped.

There was an old red barn at the end of the village, and he found a few useful tools there. There was an old-fashioned plow, but no horse, donkey, or ox to use it with, so he gave up on that idea. Still determined to start his farming, he grabbed a hoe and began marking out a decent-sized patch of the barren cornfield to start his work. Finding a few more tools, Jack began digging away at the soil, searching for the rich earth beneath the damage.

-

Sam stood at a distance, pretending she wasn't watching Jack as intently as she was. She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing or why. Maybe to keep himself busy? Maybe to get out his frustrations? Either way, she couldn't stop watching him as she walked through the village, continuing her search for anything useful. She hated this; feeling helpless and so out of control. It wasn't fair. They had to wait around to be rescued, and there was nothing she - or any of them - could do to speed up the process. She hated worrying about what had really become of Daniel and Teal'c, she hated that she was so angry at Jack for being emotionally handicapped and hiding behind rules, and she hated that her father was stuck in the middle of it all. Sam knew it wasn't fair to him, and Selmak for that matter. She'd speak to her dad, and her dad would speak to Jack, but she and Jack weren't speaking. It couldn't be easy for her father.

For the next four days Sam kept herself busy gathering food and supplies while her father worked to fix up their shack a little, patching things up where he could to make it a little more livable. She still hadn't spoken to Jack, and although he was only in the next house over, she hardly saw him. Not up close anyway. From afar she'd watch sometimes as he labored in that damn field, planting whatever it was he'd been planting. The days grew hot and long, and occasionally she'd feel the urge to go out there and bring Jack some water, or try and get him to rest a little before he got heat exhaustion, but she never did. Her stubbornness and anger held her back, though she admittedly felt some relief when her dad would go out there, offer to help (to which Jack always declined), and bring him a jug of water and some food.

-

Jacob sat himself on a hay bail in the field with Jack while they shared a meal and drank some water. The Tok'ra took in Jack's haggard appearance and always-somber expression for one last time before the silence was finally too much. "Jack, I'm only gonna ask this once and I expect you to damn well give me a straight answer." That caught the younger man's attention somewhat. His chin tilted upward and he looked Jacob in the eyes. "What the hell happened between you and my daughter."

Jack frowned and said lowly, "Nothing happened."

Not buying it, Jacob shook his head and then said, "Let me rephrase that. What did you do to piss her off?"

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Jack took a bite of the cornbread that Sam had made and frowned again. Just knowing that she had made it left him with an odd feeling he didn't recognize. For a moment he forgot all about Jacob's question until he looked up to see the older man staring hard at him. He set the cornbread aside and took a swig of water from the mason jar at his feet. "I dunno," he lied.

"Bullshit," the Tok'ra growled. "The truth Jack."

Heaving a sigh, Jack exploded. "I didn't do or say _anything_!" He sprung up from the hay bail he'd been sitting on and began pacing back and forth before finally saying, "And I suppose that's the problem." He thrust a hand through his hair in frustration.

Jacob looked at Jack, confused. Deep down he had a feeling he knew the answer, but a part of him didn't want to think about it. Expression softening as Selmak inwardly soothed and calmed him, the older man stood and looked at Jack sympathetically. "Do you feel the same way about her that she does for you?"

Jack froze and took a step back, surprised at Jacob's bluntness and worried that the older man might hit him. He supposed he would deserve it, but considering the Tok'ra's extra strength thanks to his symbiote, Jack really didn't want to deal with a broken jaw or cracked orbital bone. Fisting his hands at his sides, he clenched his jaw and hesitantly nodded. Then, vehemently, he said, "But we can't-"

"Take a look around, Jack," Jacob interrupted. "Regulations aren't in affect. There's no one around to report you. Tell her."

Resuming his pacing once he realized the other man wasn't going to hit him, Jack bit out in frustration, "I can't!" Then in a lower tone he said, "We're gonna get home."

"So what?" Jacob challenged. He'd been in the military all of his adult life. He knew the rules and regulations were their only obstacle. "There are ways. You two deserve to be happy." Sighing with his own frustration, in a gentler voice Jacob told him, "Don't let rules stand in your way."

Jack picked up his hoe and started tearing into the soil again. "Go away Jake," he growled, angrily ripping up dirt.

Shaking his head, Jacob picked up the big water jug and the food Jack hadn't eaten. "Talk to her, will you?," he tried one last time. "She's miserable and she hates you right now."

_I know. I hate me right now too_, Jack thought, ignoring Jacob and continuing his work without a word. He watched as the other man's shadow disappeared on the dirt and sighed, angry at himself. Jack really didn't know why he wouldn't let the regulations go. He wanted to - God he wanted to - but for some reason, he just couldn't put them in the back of his mind. It was who he was; who he'd been most of his life. Was he scared of being happy again? Was that what was really holding him back? Were the rules just an excuse?

-

The harsh midday sun beat against his back, causing sweat to pour off his body and soak into his clothes. Jack longed to take his shirt off as he worked, but knew he'd only get a very bad sun burn for his efforts. Having worked practically non-stop for the past three days, Jack had six rows finished, the corn already planted. He was working on the seventh row now, tearing up the dirt when the handle of his hoe snapped in half on his downward strike.

"Dammit," Jack cursed, heaving a sigh and throwing his two broken pieces into the ground. Swiping an arm across his sweaty forehead, he grabbed the water Jacob had left him on the hay bail and took a long swig before stomping off the field.

Realizing he hadn't checked any of the shabby houses in the village for tools, Jack decided to look thoroughly. He'd already scoured the old barn when he'd first began his farming and knew there were no tools left, so he didn't even bother scoping it out again. Angry that he'd broken his most-used tool, Jack picked a small house that was previously unsearched and pushed the collapsed door out of his way as he stepped inside.

-

Holed up inside the small house again, Sam kept herself busy rationing and preparing food while her father was out checking the snare traps they'd set in the nearby woods. They'd already found a good stash of rice and cornmeal, but they desperately needed a good source of protein to keep their energy levels up. Especially Jack, Sam thought ruefully, knowing how much time he spent working out in the field all day. Despite her anger and stubbornness to resolve anything until he came to talk to her, Sam still cared a great deal about Jack. She made sure her father always brought him something to eat, because she was certain he hadn't bothered making anything himself. Sam seriously doubted he had the time with all the hours he spent in that damn corn field.

Every day she worried about how much energy he was expending with little to replenish it. She still peeked outside every once in a while to watch him from a distance, and feared that she might discover him lying face first in the dirt one day. Occasionally she'd catch sight of him dragging himself back to his house at the end of the day, and would imagine him trudging inside to collapse on the bed, exhausted. Some nights she had to force herself not to go next door and demand that he come back to the shack she now only shared with her father.

Getting up from the table where she'd been rationing some rice, Sam went to the fire and stirred up their evening meal. She had just replaced the cover on the pot when she was startled by the sound of her father's shouting outside. Unsure if his shouting was a cheer of good news or a throe of agony, Sam quickly rushed out the door. "Dad! What's going on?!"

Immediately worried at the panicked look in her father's eyes, Sam's greatest fear popped into her head; her dad had found evidence of Daniel and Teal'c's demise. Her frame went rigid and her eyes began to water.

"Sam! One of the houses collapsed!" Jacob spluttered somewhat breathlessly, grasping his daughter's arm and propelling them in the direction he'd just come from. "Jack was inside. Come on, I need your help!"

Sam said nothing, just went along as though in a trance. In her mind she was screaming, "Oh God!"

The dust hadn't even settled yet when she arrived on the scene. It was the building closest to the Colonel's corn field. The roof and one of the walls had completely caved in. There was just a small gap in the doorway that lead inside the shambles. She couldn't hear any hollering inside; no "Get me outta here Jake!" or "Hurry it up!", and that scared Sam more than anything.

She was shaking as she carefully followed her father inside, slowly feeling Major Carter crawling to the forefront of her brain to take charge. Finding her voice as the moved broken boards and pieces of the roof out of the way, she asked, "Do you know where he was before it came down?"

"I don't know," Jacob admitted worriedly, carefully stepping over debris. "I just saw him go in, and then heard the cracking wood when the house collapsed minutes later."

Continuing to carefully move broken boards, shingles, and other debris to clear some sort of path, Sam was surprised by movement near her left foot. She called for silence from her father and heard a low groan before the debris piled on the floor moved of its own accord. "Colonel? Can you hear me?" She hurriedly pulled more junk aside and gasped when she revealed a dirty, somewhat-bloodied hand. "Dad! Over here!"

They had Jack pulled out of the wreckage in just over thirty minutes. The going was slow, because Jacob made his daughter aware of one single beam that was buckling precariously under the weight of what was left of the house. O'Neill was semi-conscious once they removed the debris covering him, and even managed to stumble outside with Sam and Jacob's help before dropping painfully to his knees in the dirt.

Despite his efforts to get himself up, Jack was barely conscious. His clothes were torn, bloodied, and filthy, and he was bleeding from at least a dozen cuts and lacerations.

"Let's get him inside so we can take a look at him," Jacob said, not bothering to ask the younger man how he was. "Hang in there Jack," he encouraged lowly.

Jack hissed in pain and nearly blacked out when Sam slung his right arm over her shoulder and squeezed his waist to help him keep upright, but he managed to get his feet to move a little. He hurt all over and his head felt a little fuzzy, his hearing muffled like he had his fingers in his ears.

Jacob said nothing as Sam guided Jack toward their house instead of his own. He smiled tightly to himself before helping his daughter take Jack into the only bedroom and lay him on her bed. The man was unconscious as soon as his head hit the pillow, and the Colonel's boots and socks were then removed gingerly. Jacob hurried to retrieve a bowl of water and a cloth, then Sam took the items from him and began to gently clean O'Neill's face, neck, hands, and arms; every bit of him that was exposed and bloody.

Sam was relieved that the bruises and cuts where she'd cleaned were mostly superficial. Luckily, it didn't appear that any of his limbs were broken. The worst of his injuries so far was a bloody gash over his left eye, just under the eyebrow. It wasn't that deep, but it just wouldn't stop bleeding. Once she'd taken care of that as best as she could, her father helped her remove the Colonel's shirt. Sam didn't fight the gasp that escaped her lips when she saw the spectacular bruise already evident on his abdomen. That worried her. She quickly cleaned the surprisingly few cuts on his chest, then began the unenviable task of checking for broken ribs and internal injuries.

"His right collarbone's broken," Jacob pointed out, reaching to lightly brush his fingertips against the deformation over O'Neill's chest.

Grimacing with a nod, Sam pressed her fingers firmly but gently over the Colonel's chest and along his ribcage, checking for weaknesses. Luckily finding nothing terribly wrong, Sam hesitated, fearing what she may find when she was looking for internal injuries.

Jacob caught his daughter's uneasiness and intervened. "I'll do it," he insisted gently, staring at the already-livid bruise on O'Neill's pale flesh.

Sam nodded slowly, worry creasing her brow as she watched her dad palpitate her CO's abdomen, first on the left side, getting no response, then moving to the right. Her eyes widened as the Colonel jerked spasmodically and moaned. Her anxious eyes locked onto those of her father's questioningly.

"I don't know," Jacob admitted to her heedfully. "There could be a laceration or just bruising on the inside." He heaved a sigh, removing his hands from O'Neill's abdomen. "His belly's not rigid, so that's a good sign." He watched Sam pull her bottom lip between her teeth, knowing that it could be because he hadn't been bleeding long yet.

Jack twisted on the bed slightly, his head shifting from side to side with his discomfort.

"I wish we could give him something for the pain," Sam whispered dismally, running a shaking hand through her hair.

"I know," Jacob sympathized. "Me too."

Wringing out the wet cloth she'd used to clean Jack's wounds, Sam folded it carefully and laid it over his sweaty forehead.

"We'll keep an eye on him and let him rest," Jacob suggested softly in the wake of his daughter's silence.

Sam nodded slowly, perching herself on the edge of the bed, her eyes never leaving her wounded CO. She was angry at him for going into that stupid house when it was obviously falling apart, but she also felt a wash of guilt, feeling like he wouldn't have needed to go in there if they weren't fighting. Or at least, he wouldn't have had to go in alone. Her eyes clenched briefly as she fought tears. She heard her father leave the room and move to the fireplace where the abandoned food was overcooking.

Jacob scraped the top, unburned layer of cornmeal and rice into two tin plates and brought them into the bedroom with a cup of water for Jack. He handed Sam both her own plate and Jack's water.

Immediately setting her food down on the battered wooden table beside the bed, Sam lightly threaded her fingers through the Colonel's gritty, sweaty hair. She left his cup of water on the table after a moment, deciding not to wake him, and sat back, allowing her injured Colonel the rest he needed.

After eating at the table in the other room alone, Jacob went into the small bedroom to find that his daughter hadn't touched her meal. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled warmly when she looked up at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked deeply troubled. Jacob knew it had to do with the reason she and Jack hadn't been speaking to one another. "Sam, why don't you go get some air. I'll look after him a while."

Clenching her teeth unsurely for a second, Sam took one more long look at Jack and nodded, breathing deeply and sighing as she stood. She left the small house with a lantern and stepped out into the darkness to walk the length of the village and clear her head.

-

Jack woke while Sam was gone. He was breathing harshly and suddenly clutched at his right side, blinking blearily at the face hovering over him. "Ja...Jake?" he groaned, rolling to his left, face twisted in pain and beads of sweat running down his forehead.

"Yeah. Right here." Jacob nodded quickly. He grimaced at the sight of the obvious agony on the younger man's face. "You're pretty banged up Jack," he whispered sympathetically. "I'm sorry we can't give you anything for the pain. There's nothing here." He frowned worriedly when Jack grit his teeth, and with supreme effort the younger man tried to get himself upright.

"Hey, hey, lie still," the Tok'ra warned, standing hurriedly. "Your right collarbone's broken and you might have internal injuries."

The wounded man gasped, still holding his side and grimacing as he continued trying to get up, his gaze sweeping the room searchingly. "Gotta take..a...leak..Doc."

Jacob knew Jack was searching for Sam, hoping she would be there for him, to know that she cared. As for calling him 'Doc," he hoped the reference was just the Colonel being facetious and not hallucinating. "Alright, just hang on a minute," he tried, holding out his hands in a gesture for the other man to keep still. "Don't get up, I'll bring you something to...use." Hurrying out of the room once he was fairly convinced the Colonel would stay still, Jacob searched the main room, finally grabbing one of the empty mason jars they normally used for water, and quickly taking it back to Jack. "Here."

Though he was weak and in a great amount of pain, Jack rose an eyebrow, holding the jar in his left hand. "You expect..me to..?"

"Just do it," Jacob said sternly. "I'll step out." Turning, he went outside the door and leaned against the wall to wait. He was suddenly alarmed at the tortured groans of agony from inside the room, quickly followed by Jack's raspy, breathless voice.

"Ah... Jake?"

Quickly going back inside the room, Jacob was alarmed when he saw Jack holding out the jar containing his bodily fluids. The younger man's urine was tinged red.

"That's...not good...is it?" Jack asked breathlessly when Jacob took the jar from him and worriedly set it down on the floor, shaking his head. O'Neill's face was deeply creased with pain.

"No," Jacob's suddenly expressionless face met Jack's, "It isn't."

-

Returning to the small house she'd been calling home for over a week now, Sam put her lantern out and set it down on her work table quietly. The inside of the house was dimly lit by the glow of the fire and some candles scattered around, and she looked up sharply when her father stepped out of the bedroom where Jack lay with a grave expression on his face. She felt her eyes glass over with worry when he walked toward her calmly and took her hands. There was a lump in her throat, her chest tight, and she couldn't breathe. "Dad?" Her voice was shaky, barely audible.

Jacob shook his head, slowly, wearily. "I don't know how bad it is, but it's not good."

Sam's lower lip quivered and she squeezed the rough fingers holding hers. "What? What is it?"

"There was blood in Jack's urine Sam." He watched his daughter's eyes glass over and sighed, lowering his head briefly while Selmak inwardly gave him encouragement. "I checked his abdomen again. It's not rigid, so that's still a good sign." Jacob frowned. "He's in a lot of pain though. I'm pretty sure it's the right kidney that's causing all the trouble."

Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Sam said, "I'd better take a look at him. Is he conscious?"

Jacob's mouth formed a grim line. "He was a minute ago. He's been drifting, but he's having a hard time resting and getting comfortable."

Nodding with understanding, Sam bravely opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom, her father following close behind. Her stomach was in knots as she approached her Colonel's bed and he blinked at her with pain-glazed eyes. She forced a smile and willed her eyes not to water. "Hi Colonel."

Breathing harshly with pain, his brows furrowed and he winced at the reminder of the gash under his left eyebrow. "Still..mad...at me...Carter?" he whispered.

Smiling tightly, she nodded and said, "Yes sir." Reaching down to gently thread her fingers through his hair, Sam added gently, "But we're not going to worry about that right now. I need to have a look at you." She gingerly pulled the blanket over him down to his waist. "Could you roll onto your left side for me, Colonel?"

He nodded, seemingly satisfied that she wasn't too angry with him at the moment. Turning onto his side was painful and he gasped sharply while he managed the task.

"Does your back hurt at all sir?"

"Yeah," he breathed, hissing when Carter's fingers lightly brushed against the bruise on his abdomen.

Sam grimaced. "Where, sir? On your lower right side?"

Jack's harsh breathing continued as he managed to answer her. "Uh-huh."

Sharing a look with her father, she nodded to herself and soothingly placed her hand on the Colonel's right shoulder. The bruising on his abdomen wrapped slightly around his right side, and though it didn't quite reach his back, Sam was certain her father had been correct. Jack's troubles certainly were with his kidney. She only hoped that it wasn't life-threatening. Not knowing when or if a rescue was coming, with no way to get home and no medical supplies, Sam feared for her Colonel's life. If this was very bad, there was nothing they could do for him.

"Alright sir," she said softly, "You can lie on your back again if you want to."

If it was up to him, Jack would rather not move at all. Not even to breathe. Everything he did caused jagged knives to dig deeper into his side and back.

Jacob handed Sam the cup of tepid water on the table beside the bed. "We'll need to monitor his kidney function," he said seriously, voice low.

Sam sucked in a breath and nodded, putting her hand behind Jack's head and helping him to drink. She grimaced as he coughed, and some of the liquid dribbled down his chin. "Easy sir. Try to drink a little more, okay?"

Jack groaned and made an effort to swallow more of the water while Jacob placed a cool cloth on his forehead. Sharp pains stabbed into his side and he just wanted to curl up in a ball and wish away the agony.

Tears pricked at Sam's eyes seeing how much pain the Colonel was in, and she turned away to search for a scrap of cloth to make a sling for his right arm. Hopefully that would help ease some of the discomfort from Jack's broken collarbone.

Jacob gave his daughter a curious look when she handed him the makeshift sling with eyes that pleaded with him to fix it on the Colonel for her. He nodded, slowly, and went to Jack, whose eyes had closed again.

Sam went outside, dragging a stool with her and sitting down just in front of the small house. She bent forward and put her face in her hands, shaking her head. She couldn't bear to think that the man she loved could be dying and there was nothing she could do to help. She wasn't even able to ease his pain.

-

Jack returned to consciousness briefly, his eyes fixing hazily on the blonde-haired figure at his bedside, absently stroking his hair. She didn't seem to notice that his eyes were open and he was staring at her. He heaved a sound between a sigh and a moan that seemed to catch her attention. She abruptly stopped moving her hand through his hair and jerked back, her eyes quickly fixing on his.

"Colonel," she gasped with surprise.

He managed a weak smile and hoarsely whispered, "Hey Carter." The pain wasn't so bad for the moment. It came at him in waves, sharp and intense before dulling down to an ache that wasn't nearly as bad.

It was pointless to ask how he was feeling. She reached for the water nearby and helped him drink a little. To monitor his kidney function, they had to save his urine in the mason jars. They kept two at a time to compare, seeing if the amount of blood mixed in was getting any worse or if it was getting better. It had only been about five hours now, and so far there wasn't really any change.

He wasn't extremely lucid, Sam could tell. He had a fever and was delirious from pain. Sam didn't know if she could stand sitting by him if he was more alert. It would be too awkward. She'd confessed her love to him and her desire to do something about it, and he'd just thrown the regulations in her face. To Sam that was a sign that he didn't want their relationship as much as she did. Not wanting to be angry with him right now when he needed her comfort and care, she shook out of her thoughts and tried desperately to focus solely on the Colonel's health.

Her father was outside, skinning a rabbit that had been caught in one of the snare traps, and she was alone to look after the Colonel. She couldn't leave him alone even if she wanted to.

-


	3. Chapter 3

**Almost Kansas**

**Part Three**

Another few days went by without rescue, but thankfully, Jack seemed to be getting better. His pain was dissipating day by day, and the amount of blood in his urine was quickly fading. Both Sam and Jacob were confident that the Colonel's kidney injury was only some severe bruising. He would be in pain a while yet, though at least it wouldn't be the heightened amount of agony he was in before. His collarbone was healing slowly, and the makeshift sling he'd been wearing was helping.

Once Jack was more lucid most of the time, and not unconscious, Sam began to distance herself from him again. Despite the great care she took helping him to get better, there were still undercurrents of dejection beneath the surface. She was still upset that she was willing to put everything on the line so they could have a relationship, and he was throwing up regulation flags. She couldn't be with him every day when he was lucid, knowing he didn't love her as much as she did him.

Sam made herself scarce more recently, spending time out in the barn at the far end of the village. The old building was still rather stable, and she found the place quiet and comforting. Even her father didn't know what she did with her time there all day, and when Jacob questioned her about it she always told him, "I'm just keeping myself busy."

Jacob was getting worried, about both Sam _and_ Jack. They were quickly moving backwards, not really speaking to one another again. Avoidance tactics. He was getting frustrated, and so was Selmak. These two were so stubborn they'd probably keep this up forever if he didn't do something about it. Despite his concerns that Jack wasn't well enough to completely take care of himself, O'Neill had left their house and gone back to living next door all alone.

-

Rubbing at his right side gingerly, Jack swung his feet over the side of the bed and painfully levered himself upright. He groaned and swayed for a moment, automatically looking around for Sam. A sigh escaped his lips and he frowned, regretfully shaking his head. It was the first morning he'd woken up all alone, after his first night being back in his lonely house next door. Jack still wasn't really sure why he'd told Jacob he was moving out again so soon.

Oh wait. Yes he was. It was because of Sam. She was avoiding him again. Or rather, they were avoiding each other. Well, when he thought about it, Jack realized he was just letting her avoid him. Which was practically the same thing. It made his head hurt. He felt like an idiot. He loved her, but he didn't think he deserved her. Jack couldn't push the regulations aside because he was scared; scared of being happy again, scared of letting someone love him. He was starting to realize the true reasons behind his behavior towards Sam over this whole mess they'd gotten themselves into.

Growling in frustration, Jack stormed out of the house and marched down to the lake.

-

Sam found the Colonel half an hour later, without even meaning to. She was still trying to avoid him, but had been on her way to the lake to wash some of the slave clothes she'd found when she spied him sitting on a rock with his legs dangling in the cool water. The hot afternoon sun was beating against his bare back, and she could see the still-vivid bruising on his right side as well as the faded cuts on his upper body.

Swallowing her pride, because she still cared about him no matter what his feelings for her may be, Sam quietly headed down to where he sat, taking a jar of water out of the cloth bag she'd been carrying. He didn't turn as she approached, but she knew it was because the sharp movement would have caused him pain and not because he was trying to ignore her. She sat on the big rock beside him and held out the jar of water as a sort of peace offering.

Now that he wouldn't have to twist around painfully to look at her, Jack turned his head and slowly accepted her offering, eyeing her curiously. "Thanks."

Sam noticed his wet shirt hanging on a nearby tree branch to dry, and could see that the sling on his right arm was a little loose. She tilted her head when she saw that he only took a few sips of the water and frowned with concern. "Sir, you need to keep drinking a lot of water so we can make sure your kidneys are still working okay."

He glanced at her for a second then sighed, tipping back the jar in his hands and nearly finishing off the liquid. Jack handed it back to her with a somewhat raspy, "Happy now, _Doc_?"

Rolling her eyes and actually smiling for a moment, Sam took the jar back, capped it, and tucked it back in her bag before staring out across the lake somberly. Jack's teasing comment made her think about Janet and home. She missed home, and she missed Daniel and Teal'c and was still scared that they hadn't made it. Could that be why there'd still been no rescue? Or were they trapped somewhere too?

Seeing the mournful look on her face, Jack gently nudged her leg with his. "Carter?"

Sam abruptly got to her feet, forgetting about the clothes she'd been meaning to wash in her bag. Not wanting to talk about home, afraid that she might break down in front of the Colonel, Sam smiled tightly and shifted the bag's strap on her shoulder. "I've got something for you."

Jack blinked up at her with confusion. "What?"

"I've got something for you," she repeated with a small, reserved smile. "It's in the barn; come on." Sam went around him, carefully grabbing his left arm and helping him to his feet. No matter how rejected she felt, she couldn't be cold and distant toward him. Avoid him, she could do that, but not be cold and distant. She just had to bury her feelings, that's all. If they were stuck on this planet, Sam knew she wouldn't be able to stay away from him forever.

Sam pushed the barn door open and stepped inside, followed more slowly by Jack. She went over to the corner where some broken tools were leaning against the wall, grabbed something and met Jack in the doorway.

Curiously raising an eyebrow, Jack slowly took the tool Sam held out to him. "Carter?"

She lowered her head. "I fixed the hoe for you. I found a metal rod that looked like it would make a good handle and fixed it to the end of the blade."

"Thanks...Carter," Jack said slowly, a little confused. He wasn't entirely sure why she was being so nice to him. He'd thought she was still angry, and he didn't blame her if she was.

She sighed softly and shrugged. "I figured... Well, if we're stuck here, at least we can...be productive." Sam's gaze lingered on him briefly before she walked away without another word.

-

Sam jumped slightly in surprise when she returned to the small house to find her dad standing just inside the door with his arms crossed. "Dad."

A serious, stony look on his face, he lowly said, "How's he doing?"

She blinked suspiciously, wondering how he knew she'd been with Jack. "How did you-?"

Jacob quirked a smile briefly. "I was outside chopping wood for the fire when I saw you walking with him toward the barn."

"Oh." Sam suddenly found her dirty, scuffed boots extremely interesting.

"How's Jack doing?" Jacob repeated with genuine concern.

Her gaze shifting from her boots, Sam adjusted the strap on her shoulder as she realized with an inward curse that she'd forgotten all about the clothing she'd meant to wash. "The Colonel's still in pain, but typically trying to hide it." She shrugged a little. "He's alright I guess."

Jacob took a step toward his daughter and gently put his hands on either sides of her arms. "How about you?"

"Me?" Sam tilted her head questioningly.

"Yeah Sammy, you." Smiling at her warmly, he looked into his daughter's eyes, seeing her inward struggle. "I know this situation is hard on you. It's hard on all of us."

Her brows furrowed as she met his eyes, and her lower lip wobbled slightly. She sighed and shook her head, having been about to divulge her true thoughts but deciding against it. "I'm okay Dad."

Despite his unconvinced look, Jacob nodded and left it alone.

-

Jack was really starting to hate Almost Kansas. It was two days after Sam had given him the tool she'd fixed for him, and he was finding that it made his heart ache whenever he was around her. Not because he didn't want her around, but because he couldn't stand how professional she was being. He knew it was his fault. Sam had bared her soul to him, and he had turned her down. She was only trying to protect herself by distancing herself from him.

He was incredibly frustrated. His frustration mounted whenever he thought about Teal'c and Daniel. It was killing him not knowing what had become of them, and the feelings of helplessness were overwhelming. Jack was still in pain and his movements were hindered by his injuries, but he knew he had to get back to work. Today he was determined to get back into his cornfield and finish what he'd started. Or at least finish as much as he could. He needed something else to occupy his thoughts for a while.

Taking a jar of water and his hoe, Jack marched out into the hot midday sun and made his way toward the field.

-

Behind the house, Jacob engaged in a now-familiar routine of skinning and cleaning the rabbit-like animal that was destined to be their evening meal. He'd gotten quite adept at making snare traps and knowing just where to place them to better the odds of catching something. The Tok'ra was quite proud of that.

Hearing snapping twigs and rustling, Jacob looked up to see Sam emerging from the woods, dragging behind her a rickety old cart filled with decent-sized logs to be split for the fire. He smiled at his daughter as she stopped beside the table he was working at and swiped sweat from her brow. Admiring the amount of wood she'd collected, he smiled with pride. "That should keep us stocked for a while."

Sam nodded, slightly breathless from her efforts. She smiled back at him. "Good." Looking at the animal her father was cleaning and making a slight face at the gore, she tilted her head. "Rabbit stew for dinner?"

"You bet." Jacob paused in his work briefly. "I've even got a sack of flour to make some dumplings."

Laughing softly at his enthusiasm, Sam shook her head, leaving her wood pile for the moment and heading inside. She'd sort it out later.

Going out the front door to check if the clothes she'd washed earlier and left out in the sun were dry, something out of the corner of her eye caught Sam's attention. She squinted in the bright sunlight and peered across the village toward the fields, noticing a stiffly-moving figure toiling away in the dirt. "Damned stubborn sonofabitch!" she muttered under her breath, quickly abandoning the clothes she was about to bring in and hastily marching out to the field.

Jack paused and turned with the decency to look chastised when Sam planted her feet in the dirt in front of him, blocking his efforts at turning over the soil. He was sweaty, and the sling on his right arm was gone, probably discarded when he'd managed to take his shirt off at some point. He suddenly adapted a grievous, but determined look in his eyes, and his face was still, hard lines of masked pain on his guarded features. The handle of the hoe shook in his weak, left handed grip, and his right arm was held tight to his side in absence of the sling.

"Colonel, what are you doing?" Sam softened her tone after initially intending for her words to come out quite sharp and disapproving. She quickly guided him to sit down on the nearby hay bail before he fell down. He didn't protest her actions, just complied with deliberate movements.

He heaved out a breath. "I wanted...to do something...useful," he answered slowly between harsh, pained breaths.

Sam's brows twitched sympathetically. She picked up the jar of water laying on its side on the ground and uncapped it swiftly, urging O'Neill to drink. "Sir, you're not strong enough for this kind of work yet," she told him softly, aware that he already knew. "I need to get you back inside, out of the hot sun."

Jack hissed when she tried to get him up and sunk back against the hay again, breathless and wincing. "Just...gimme a minute Carter."

Nodding slowly, Sam was about to insist he drink more water when the rush of disturbed air above them jerked their attention upwards. Surprised to see a Tel'tak lowering from overhead, Sam felt a moment of panic as her eyes swept the area swiftly, dismayed to find no possible cover. When the Colonel tensed at her side, she prepared to place herself in front of him if necessary.

The two of them were overcome with shock and glee at the same time when the ship landed, and two very family figures emerged; Teal'c and Daniel. They were dressed in slave clothes similar to the ones Sam had found in the village, and both looked tired and a little rough around the edges, but otherwise in good shape.

"Oh, my God! Daniel! Teal'c!" Sam stood quickly as Daniel jogged over with a face-splitting smile, Teal'c following along more sedately.

Daniel hugged her briefly and stepped back as Teal'c did the same. "You have no idea how relieved we are to have found you guys!"

"Indeed." Teal'c bowed his head slightly, a faint smile on his face.

"You have no idea how relieved we are that you found us!" Sam released a nervous, grateful laugh, the anxiety she'd been feeling since they'd gotten stranded loosening its hold on her.

Jack pulled himself upright with effort, forced his breathing to slow down as he managed a grin. "Hey guys. It's been a while."

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed the same time Teal'c said, "O'Neill." The younger man's eyes were bright with affection. "God, you look..." His brows furrowed with worry as Jack got closer and he got a better look at his friend. "Awful..." he finished, trailing off slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," the older man replied quickly, though in obvious discomfort.

Sam hurriedly stepped to his side and wound a supportive arm around his waist carefully when Daniel gave her a suspicious look, not at all believing the Colonel was anywhere near fine. "I'll explain later," she said with a tight smile, studying her two previously-missing friends carefully while Jack seemed to be concentrating on getting his breathing under control at her side. "Where have you guys been?"

Daniel shared a look with Teal'c before heaving a sigh and smiling somewhat bashfully. "Believe it or not, on the other side of this same planet." He grimaced.

"We have spent many days struggling to get the Tel'tak in working order once more before we were able to perform a search," Teal'c explained in his calm, somehow-reassuring way.

"You have no idea," Daniel added emphatically. "Sam, without you, we didn't have a clue what we were doing. I mean, Teal'c can fly the Goa'uld ships, sure, but he only has very basic knowledge of how they work."

The Jaffa shot him a look, though he didn't appear to be seriously offended in any way.

As if noticing for the first time that someone was missing, Daniel shot both Sam and the Colonel a look of dismay. "Sam, where's Jacob? He didn't... I mean, did he-?"

"No, no! Dad's fine," Sam said quickly with a reassuring smile. She gestured behind them, toward the village. "He's at the house." Looking sideways at O'Neill, she could see the exhaustion and pain lining his face and knew he would need to sit down again very soon. "Come on, let's go into the village and we can talk."

-

Sam tried to usher Jack to the bedroom to lie down as soon as they got to the house, but he was having none of it. She knew he needed to hear what had been going on with Teal'c and Daniel as much as she and her father did. So instead of lying down, she got him to sit at the table, and they all took a chair and got to talking. They learned that for the near-month they'd been stranded, Daniel and Teal'c had been attempting to get the damaged Tel'tak in working order again. Just after the escape pods were gone, and the men realized their own pods weren't working, Teal'c managed to coax the ship into a rough landing on the other side of the planet. They hadn't been entirely sure where Sam, O'Neill, and Jacob had touched down in the pods, but once the Tel'tak was in the air again, the two did a search in approximately the location where they'd last seen their friends.

Sam was astonished to learn that the two men had found a slave village of their own to live off of during the last several days, and while searching for their friends, discovered many similarly abandoned slave settlements scattered all over the planet. They'd been doing a low sweep when they spotted two moving figures down in the field, which luckily happened to be Sam and O'Neill.

While her dad explained what they'd been up to for the past couple weeks, and began wondering if the repairs on the ship had been enough to get them to the planet with the gate where they'd started, Sam took a good look at her Colonel. He was very pale, and still sweaty despite the much cooler temperature inside the house. She got out of her chair with ease, then went around the table to his side and took his left arm gingerly. "Come on sir," she said softly. "You should lie down."

His eyes met hers briefly, and she thought he was going to protest, wanting to join in the discussion to make sure they all got home okay. It was his job to make sure they were all safe, she knew that. But she also knew that he wasn't feeling well, and would submit to her despite the urge to help plan their trip back to Earth.

The Colonel got up silently with her help, allowing her to guide him into the bedroom. He sat on the thin mattress with a groan, and was about to lie back when Sam stopped him. O'Neill blinked at her, breathing slowly.

Sam pulled a ratty piece of cloth from her pocket. It was the sling the Colonel had left behind in the field. She noticed the narrow-eyed look he was giving her and ignored it. "You need to support your arm to make sure your collarbone heals." Sam gave him a look. "You know what Janet's going to do to you when we get back, right? Might as well not give her a cause to bark at you."

A faint smirk ghosted across his face. He nodded slowly, allowing her to put his arm in the makeshift sling and tie it behind his neck. "Happy now?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes sir. Very." Sam grinned back at him and gave him some water to drink before he laid down. "Rest for a bit and I'll come get you when we know what the plan is."

He nodded distantly and faded away into the realms of sleep.

When Sam returned to the main room, Daniel looked over at her, concern creating a furrow between his dark brows. "Is Jack okay?"

She smiled back at him and Teal'c reassuringly. "He's still recovering."

"Jacob Carter explained the incident when O'Neill was injured," Teal'c intoned in his deep drawl.

Sam nodded. "He got pretty banged up, and we believe his right kidney was bruised very badly. He's doing better now, though."

Daniel seemed to accept that, then asked if Sam and her dad would take a look at the repairs they'd made on the ship to see if anything more needed to be done before they could leave.

-

Jack slept for the entire four hours it took to fly from Almost Kansas to the planet with the stargate. The trip had been a little difficult because the navigation system on the Tel'tak was damaged, and Sam had to divert power two separate times before they'd arrived at their destination. Since Daniel and Teal'c had all their gear on the ship, she found some packets of Tylenol and gave some to O'Neill, worried about giving him any stronger pain medication. He would be able to see Janet as soon as they got home, and the doctor would be sure to give him all that he needed there.

The team and her dad waited patiently by the stargate. They'd just gated home and sent their GDO codes, and were now waiting for Hammond to send a MALP through to verify.

Sam sat with the Colonel at the bottom of the steps, way out of the way of the wave when the stargate would _kawoosh _to life. They were shoulder to shoulder, and he looked a little better since he'd gotten some rest on the ship. She gave him water from the canteen Daniel had handed her, and they remained sitting in silence until the gate finally activated and a MALP from the SGC came through, bumping its way down the stone steps. Sam smiled with relief as Daniel and her father got up close to the MALP's camera and began explaining things to the General.

They were going home.

-

As soon as they got down the ramp, Jack moving determinedly under his own power, the weary travelers were ushered off to the infirmary to confirm their identities after being gone for just over three weeks.

Jacob was done the quickest, since all he really had to do was let Selmak speak for a few minutes, confirming their identities, and then quickly made a call to the Tok'ra to let them know what had happened and where he was.

Half an hour later, Teal'c and Jacob were debriefing the General while Daniel, Sam, and Jack got stuck staying in the infirmary. None of the three were very happy about it. Sam was the only one brave enough to tell Janet that. Well, that wasn't true. The Colonel had initially protested, but gave up when Janet allowed him to take a shower on his own and then threatened him with big needles if he kept whining.

"Janet," Sam sighed from her bed between the Colonel and Daniel. When the doctor walked over patiently, Sam crossed her arms. "I understand why the Colonel has to stay, but Daniel and I are fine."

O'Neill shot his Major a look of mock-betrayal.

The doctor just smiled. "I'll be the judge of that." Janet then walked around the beds to check the IVs she'd given each of them. She'd thought they were all looking a little undernourished and was supplying them proper nutrients, but O'Neill was the only one getting antibiotics and painkillers as well. Tests had shown evidence of the bruised kidney and broken collarbone, but both of his more serious injuries were on their way to healing. Janet was very proud of Sam for being able to get the Colonel to wear a sling for as long as he did.

Janet finished checking all their intravenous lines and sat on the end of Sam's bed for a moment, looking over her three patients. "I'm just keeping you here for observation overnight. Just to be safe."

O'Neill rose a hopeful eyebrow. "So we're free to go in the morning?" he asked nonchalantly, as though he didn't really care whether he had to stay or not.

Not fooled in the slightest by his tactics, Janet smiled at him and sharply said, "Daniel and Sam are free to go. You, I'm keeping a bit longer."

The Colonel frowned, obviously unhappy with that. He glared at the doctor to his right briefly before his gaze drifted up the bed to Sam. "Carter, you're the one that fixed me up; tell Doc I'm fine."

Sam shrugged helplessly. "Sorry sir. She's the doctor."

"Hmph. Traitor," he grumbled under his breath.

Daniel smirked, watching the exchange between his two friends. Despite their easy manner, he had a feeling something was just not quite settled between them.

Janet smiled at them. She was glad to have the team back again. "Try and get some sleep, it's late."

Frowning, Jack kept glancing almost longingly over at Sam. Daniel was now very certain that something was up between those two. When Sam looked over at Jack briefly with a sad smile, Daniel closed his eyes and pretended to have fallen asleep, possibly allowing them some privacy to talk. He heard Janet's heels clicking as she left the room and he waited.

Though not convinced Daniel was really asleep so fast, Jack locked eyes with Carter, his dark eyes hopefully expressing his need to talk to her. When she sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed, facing him, he was sure she got the message. He felt his heart clench when he saw the desperate need not to be hurt again in those blue orbs of hers, and his mouth flapped open and closed a few times as he tried to find the words he was searching for. "Carter, I-"

She cut him off for a moment, jerking her thumb behind her at Daniel, who was so obviously feigning sleep. Normally, his mouth hung open when he slept. At the moment his lips were pursed like he was trying too hard to fool them.

Jack didn't care. He just lowered his voice to a whisper, waving her over as he fiddled with the bed controls to sit himself up. "Please." He would have gone to her, but she wasn't hooked up to as many wires as he was and it was easier for her to drag her IV pole over.

Getting up unsurely, Carter carefully made her way over, perching herself on the edge of his bed. She smiled at him tightly, an uneasy expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely, reaching over with his left hand to take her hand in his.

Her brows furrowed as though she didn't know what he was talking about. "Sir?" she questioned, just as quietly.

Just outside the infirmary, Jacob had been on his way to check on his daughter and the rest of her team when he stopped just shy of the door, hearing the hushed voices inside. He leaned against the wall, just out of sight, and listened.

Jack took a slow, deep breath and tried not to wince. "I'm sorry for pushing you away, for acting like I didn't care and pretending rules and regulations were more important than the way I feel about you." As her eyes watered and her lower lip trembled like she was about to say something, Jack rose a single finger to her lips, silently asking for her to let him continue before he lost his nerve.

Carter gave a single nod of assent and allowed Jack to continue.

Daniel slowly turned on his side so that his back was to them, still pretending to be asleep. He didn't want his face to betray that he was listening. For effect, he made a short snoring noise and mumbled something unintelligible, breathing slowly and evenly.

Jack shot a glare at Daniel's back and his voice got even quieter. "I didn't think I deserved to be happy again. I was scared." He paused for a moment and was grateful that Carter still hadn't said anything. "I finally realize that I'm more scared of losing you in my life than anything else." Jack's hand squeezed hers. "I love you Carter, and I want us to be happy. Together."

Taking that as her cue to start talking now, Sam felt her eyes spill over with tears and sniffed. She held back a smile a looked him in the eyes seriously. "What about regulations? They're not just going to go away."

His eyes shifted and he sighed, still clinging to her hand. "We'll work somethin' out. I'll talk to the General. I'll retire if I have to. Maybe he could hire me back as a civilian consultant." The Colonel gave a one-shouldered shrug.

Sam frowned. "You'd be behind a desk. You'll hate that."

O'Neill's chin rose and he met her eyes again. "I'd hate being away from you even more."

She smiled. It was genuine and full of love and hope. "You're right. We'll figure something out. We just don't have to do that right away."

He nodded, slowly, and a grin spread across his face when she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. There was a worried look in his eyes when he pulled his head back and frowned slightly. "What about Pete?"

Sam clenched her jaw and looked down with embarrassment. "It was over before it started," she admitted softly. She looked up again and gave him a loving smile. "He's not you."

Jack grinned, then said, "You still mad at me?"

She snorted and lightly swatted his leg. "Maybe. But you can make it up to me."

His dark eyes lit up like a little boy on Christmas. "You bet."

Over at Daniel's bed, the archaeologist closed his eyes and smiled, while in the hallway, Jacob leaned against the wall, grinning to himself as he quietly muttered, "Finally."

-The End-


End file.
